in-store charges free. range month free is free. to charge free. old free broadcast quality video for your media projects a free media are teton time. activists have their sentences slashed in bahrain big human rights campaign is is still unhappy as we investigate why the gulf kingdom hasn't been able to stop the raging protests after almost two years of unrest plus the syrian government suffers a further setback as another high profile figure defect this is the regime rebels tried accusations over the shelling of civilians. and as the u.k. prepares for a recession here in the northeast of the country the financial gloom is taking its toll on people's health and their patients with the government.

and i welcome you watching r.t. live from moscow with me. so our top story bahrain has cut prison sentences for dozens of pro-reform demonstrators that took part in mass rallies last year but the move has failed to satisfy human rights groups who are calling on the country to free all jailed activists the gulf states in cracking down on anti regime protesters finish two years killing dozens and arresting thousands rights organizations demand the nation stop the use of take gas and torture interrogations but campaigners say bahrain is on a slippery slope to a sunni dictatorship artie's election. the struggle between the government and the opposition and who could benefit from it. when it came to supporting calls for

democracy in middle eastern and north african states while denouncing government sponsored violence leaders of the west were vocally critical from our graphic has lost legitimacy to lead and he must leave one. takes that will be a day of reckoning for this dreadful regime but when scenes of violent clashes between riot police and reform campaign risking from bahrain the definition of democracy shifted and there was a suspiciously move. in the summer of the us state department came up with a statement expressing its concerns over the human rights situation and alleged torture in bahrain this was only several months after washington had restarted weapons sales to this gulf state it is claimed that the weaponry is defensive but hardly anyone in the opposition believes that dissenters in bahrain have been directing anger at their government for months now stop arming the killers is the message there are more often sending out to the west some of the brain blood is

worthless and the libyan blood is more important it's just a book critical a stand so you see for from travels to europe to direct attention to what he believes to be brutal repression in his country he and others like him have managed to alert human rights. as far as it goes they go. to do a human behavior in and the same. bad a victim and bad and because we live in a country they condemn the violence committed by the bahraini government against the peaceful protests there and behind but that is still continuing for decades bahrain has been one of washington's closest allies in the gulf its naval base houses the u.s. fifth fleet and six thousand troops in a seemingly irreversible decision made decades ago despite

a growing anti-american mood among some of bahrain's neighbors anything happens the bush era plan or any of the other players that there are allegations of a nuclear weapon being built we are very close to all of those sites and we have to make the right decision in preventing any kind of catastrophe coming here we are or are not capable of doing that and that's why we turn to our friends and allies and officials firmly deny that washington plays a decisive role in preventing any revolution happening in bahrain but even the bahraini government's information minister suggests the us main fact be playing a double game. i think the iranian opposition is a key ally of the us leader of the opposition and the terrorist members of the opposition have close ties with foreign embassies in bahrain we can leak some of the old many documents proving that if this is true then washington sitting comfortably it can quickly switch sides if for instance my mom refuses to

accommodate the american fleet any further but for now the opposition in bahrain is left to wonder as to why calls to support democracy from some are less worthy of attention than others like see russia ski r.t. reporting from the kingdom of bahrain. the chief of ceres military police is abandon the regime and fled to turkey in the latest high profile defection of the conflict this comes as the syrian government blames terrorists dozens of civilians in the country's north on wednesday the opposition earlier claim the deaths resulted from shelling by assad loyalists artie's paula slayer as more one of the main groups to come to the fore is a u.k. based activist group known as the syrian observateur for human rights the pictures are currently what missing are pictures that they are distributing on you tube they cannot be verified at the point has been made by the russian foreign ministry that this is a group that relies on some two people and so these kind of reports need to be

taken with a bunch of salt and we constantly hear reports coming out of syria with. of perpetrating calamities indeed what we've witnessing happening in syria is a media war is a misinformation more that is increasingly difficult to verify been hearing now for several days the rebel fighters in syria claiming that assad's forces are using chemical weapons on them what they saying is that the injuries that civilians are coming forward with injuries that do point to some kind of exposure to a poisonous gas that they're consistent with those kind of injuries the fact is though that they needs to be a lot of question marks around this now we all know that israel is no friend of syria but we are hearing from the israeli vice prime minister who was casting doubt over these claims by the group of fighters moshe ya'alon the israeli vice prime minister sort of this is not the first time that there has been such claims made by were bullfighters and he has made the point that the opposition in syria has

a vested interest in making such claims as a way of getting foreign military intervention he also says that there is no proof for any kind of confirmation that indeed assad's forces are using chemical weapons now the russian foreign minister also made the point that the chemical weaponry within syria is been contained we have been receiving reports that it has moved to two locations what we witnessing again here is the continuation of this misinformation war the fighting in syria continues to intensify we're likely to continue to fear such kind of reports in the coming days and certainly we will do our best to try and verify the same since. after stepping on to the road of recovery the u.k. is preparing to begin the new year recession free but in the northeast britain's poorest region the financial downturn and widespread unemployment has had a potentially devastating effect on people's mental health according to

a recent report the region has almost three times the rate of self harm and attempted suicide as london r.t. sarah firth reports as the old saying in britain gaze it's grim up north it's a perception of life in some of the nation's other major cities recessions hit the case hard it's been in the northeast where it's been felt particularly acutely. that is right down in the bush here i mean you know the very people who are living on the poverty line trade union leader about scots furious with the government's decision to close sunderland's rentboy factory it's a government venture that began back in the 1940's to provide employment the people with disabilities two weeks before christmas the government announced that they were going to close. in factories and leaves a very bleak uncertain future for disabled workers killer stops was laid off from another rempel

a factory back in april and accuses the government of forcing people out of paid jobs and on to a life of welfare we were told in the week before we left the factory. or get jobs. yeah in fact just four people from his old factory found a job it's not the first time the northern workers have felt the firm hand of a conservative government back in the one nine hundred eighty s. and the miners' strike and the margaret thatcher became a symbol of a divided nation this mining village in the living museum in the northeast gives us a snapshot of the past it's been nearly three decades since margaret thatcher and her conservative government crushed the miners' unions the impact that her policies had on the north east was extreme and long felt and even today there are many people who still have a deep mistrust of the conservative government the conservatives reputation up here

is one that's hard to shake and it makes it hard for them to get a fair hearing on any plans to regenerate so to find out more we decided it was time to pay a visit to number ten i was shocked at the level of understanding on the conservative benches of how people who live in. the northeast. visit the areas very often and i think they have a completely different view of how people's lives of the government are accused of not understanding the north but isn't that your job to represent the things to be a fair bit of bickering that goes on among northern and. well i mean having an accent in the house of commons you know i've got quite happy ducks and but that sort of you get sneers when you have an accent when you speak in the commons from the government benches so that in itself is just an example of how the mismatch

between the two sides of the government insists it's treating grace in the area seriously and his earmarks money for infrastructure projects targeting the northeast in particular but a legacy of let downs has left many northerners less than an seized what we're saying is. the government says this is going up and this is going away so. it's a complete shambles so you all in it together and nation divided one thing seems that with many predicting an increase in unemployment and a triple dip recession for the u.k. the challenge is if the year ahead look set to be testing times to everyone. just ahead in the program we continue and if you review today. the exclusive talk show hosted by the world's most wanted whistleblower the sun.

if you're from my generation or younger and you were born into the one percent that i have a lot of college debt i sure do you know the deal used to be that you paid a significant amount for education but in turn that gave you a much higher salary later but now the system works in reverse many young americans studied very hard to not make any money at all around nine percent of americans with student loans have defaulted and at least nine but maybe up to eighteen percent are ninety days late with their payments given the situation the people at u.c. berkeley were nice enough to give away a million dollars in scholarships for everyone everyone that's an illegal immigrant yeah that's right if. jump the border and enjoy the red carpet education

treatment the people who will be getting the scholarships are mostly the children of illegal immigrants who spent many of their formative years in america and yeah i could see the logic that could be hard for them to get an education wonder when they aren't citizens but they came into the country illegally it isn't taxpayers jobs to help them but wait berkeley is a private institution so i guess they can give out the money to whoever they want whenever they want however they want but berkeley management if you're watching this i would really appreciate if you chose some financial mercy to american citizens it isn't like they don't need the help but that's just my opinion.

you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't i'm tom hard look at the big picture.

russia would be so much brighter if you. song from feinstein fresh. start on t.v. dot com. hello welcome back the french embassy in the central african republic has been attacked by protesters urging paris to intervene to stop a rebel advance and surgeons reportedly control vast parts of the country and are only seventy five kilometers away from the capital the u.n. has ordered its staff out of the country jus to the young rest now and freeman of the executive intelligence review magazine believes france they will only worsen matters if it intervenes these developments do not occur overnight this is been brewing for years the french are playing a very bad role and if they give become militarily again in the central african

republic that's not going to be healthy for african countries are going to have to move in and saudi's brown i think the french have a right to remember. if they become otero you it's not going to be helpful to the central african republic or any of the neighboring countries of the c.a.r. book or any of the neighbor it's been going on in most of the countries in their region which is that you are very unstable governments these countries have never become sovereign because only your powers france and to be regrown a power grid have kept their finger on the resources of these countries and they basically have never allowed these countries to develop for government wins and they would develop the country for the people like the nomic li. well it's have a quick look at other news around the world egypt's president has a claim the new constitution has a new dawn for his country in his address to the nation after signing fiercely disputed charter into law. as mohamed morsi also claimed it guarantees social

freedom and paves the way for democracy critics of the constitution say it imposes elements of here ira law while ignoring the rights of women minorities the zionist backed draft was approved by some sixty three percent of egyptians in a referendum which the opposition claims saw massive fraud. in the sunni iraqis brought the country's main trade route to neighboring syria and jordan and wednesday the demonstrators were demanding equal rights accusing the shiite led government of leading the country into sectarian conflicts the mass protests erupted last week following the arrest of ten bodyguards of a senior official has not done much and los angeles police claim a gun buyback event in the city source sixteen hundred firearms handed in on wednesday as people formed long lines to trade their weapons for free grocery said to figure its the annual event this year was supported by l.a.'s mare who has

echoed the president calling for a ban on assault weapons america's long running debate on gun control has been reignited by the newtown elementary school massacre that left twenty six people dead earlier this month. the afghan foreign ministry says the country has lost more than seventeen million dollars in taxes is foreign companies linked to nato are avoiding paying their dues last week president karzai slammed the firms accusing them of widespread corruption in the country but political analyst and former afghan m.p. so it turns henri says the government is equally to blame. what was going on in two thousand and one two thousand and two when the interim authority came to existence in this country they signed deals exempting some of these companies we were dealing with need to and i so. many other companies came and started. carpetbagging and backpacking. illegitimate gains never paid taxes this is not

new and this government will never have the guts to collect taxes from those rogue companies just an aviation alone. there are dozens and dozens of companies who are bringing passengers and cargo to this country and who are bringing other goods and they have never paid any taxes they've never paid even landing fees in some cases they haven't paid or flaked fees this is just aviation you can imagine in other fields of commerce in. fuel and transportation and logistics and security in other arenas in all arenas there are hundreds of millions of dollars every year there are scaping and this government also sometimes gives them some reprieve reducing their taxes and exchange for bribes. now we've plenty on our website right now i mean clearing one percent stage doesn't necessarily mean

a russian family files a two million dollar loss against bentley plane the luxury car maker for the death of a relative due to a faulty air bag. plus washington's plans to hold the whip hand over east asian skies by deploying squadrons of stealth warplanes to the region get all the details at our dot com. with the end of the year approaching we continue to look back now at the most significant events of twenty twelve today r.t. recaps the launch of a groundbreaking exclusive show hosted by the world's top whistleblower in the science the program was recorded while the wiki leaks founder was under house arrest in britain and gave voice to some of the most prominent public figures shunned by the mainstream media.

it was right on the new year's eve when i went to london to see june to discuss the news so. i'm julian assignment. editor of where she wakes exposed the world secret police documents from the very beginning when it became the in high profile show stayed strong with a lot of it's as a boss or so we created this web page with a big video player and video feeds containing trailers sneak peeks most shows tend to have a spike and then go down to both mars it's online and you with your keeps climbing in and quite a quite a study about i think it will be viewed in the story and said this was quite an important piece here is the julian assange show gains over a one million visits and views online and believe me or am interesting is show it's

kind of an achievement but never before thought we had anything like that on t.v. when one person sitting on the house the rapture would give voice to quiet quite a few people around the world whose position of the world doesn't fit in the mainstream you to picture. i'll be back in about forty minutes time with more news for you coming up next i offer short break it is abby martin breaking news that. is the legacy no one should be proud. subscribed nationally touring pristine arctic

landscape building stilton over their foundation pipes spilling black smoke over the snow covered peaks the traces of the soviet industrial activity on the spitzbergen archipelago don't make a pretty picture of the guiding principle here is the worse the better welcomes like to tell the story that back in soviet times when no regions were visiting barons were they all want to express amazement. at how prosperous this stuff was well times have obviously a challenge when they saw it lags they still attracting a region tourists are bearing the word i would then cons much needed cash that's why one big bad they're ruining our goal is common as was uncovered here a few days ago instead of throwing it away the local administration decided to paint the bin you and put it at variance work central square that in the nine hundred eighty s. there innsbruck was a burgeoning mining community though the soviet union was determined to maintain

its own costs to educate located halfway between north america and western europe in an archipelago is part of norway with a special status that allows other countries to set up industrial bases here in the middle of the cold war it served as the use of stars westernmost outpost now it's one of the soviet union slask tend to call it preserved relics used to be very strange is essentially a picture of what would have happened to the soviet union if it was cut off from any financial support for two decades you. curious for western tourists and i think it could be even more appealing for russian travelers to keep its presence on spitsbergen russia still maintaining a coal mine here but in terms of profit is far behind local shops so he married bill it is a big hit the defunct are incurred and still helps keep the money flowing was it so rushing through in your words you can't explain robles. your.

local administration is increasingly under pressure to bring the infrastructure up to more than standards these modernization efforts are not very popular with tourists if you come into a very authentic place like. it should stay the way it is that would be my wish i mean that's the part of a little you know authentic tradition. i should not i would not like to have it in the shiny condition to be honest this time to change even for the better is not always good for business something that even a local band has become attuned to when they try to add morning russian songs to their repertoire the audience called all they wanted to hear it was a song comfortably from there we are.

live on one hundred thirty three bucks a month for food i should try it because you know how fabulous i'd look. i mean. i don't. really know. her personally. if that. worst. white house. radio guy for a minute. but i want what we're about to give you've never seen anything like this i'm told. don guys i'm abby martin are going through a very special edition of breaking this set the show is a crusade against the mainstream media because i think it's important to rethink

the establishment narrative unfortunately i'm not the only one oscar winning director all over stone has been on this very same mission for quite some time check out the media and everyone talks about that saying the news of the day and all the subconscious really important stuff that's going on is being neglected over media distracts us from what you and i should care about because there are profit driven industries that sell the sensationalistic garbage because that breaking news . so without further ado here to talk about their new showtime series and book i'll be joined by oliver stone and later his co-author peter cousin ik so let's break that said. it looks like. you've never seen anything like. this week marks the twenty fifth anniversary of the movie wall street a film that explores the greed and corruption that drives the gears of america's

free market check it out if you're not. you are outside the discussion. there is no nobility in offering any more than. is good. with what makes you take the fifteen or so it's all going to change. something that's me express. my guest today is the director of that movie he's also a three time academy award winner whose films have been nominated for thirty one oscars most notably platoon born on the fourth of july j.f.k. and nixon his without a doubt one of the most controversial and influential filmmakers of our time and that's why i'm very pleased to be joined by producer director oliver stone thank you so much for joining me for having it's nice to great pleasure so wall street is a film that challenge people to rethink human nature one of the most notable lines from the movie greed is good what was your original message about that line and how do you feel looking back twenty five years later at the relationship between wall

street and our government. don't get me started you know my father was in wall street so i grew up republican conservative in new york city in my life and underwent a lot of changes and by the time i was thirty five forty years old i was rethinking everything and i had a chance to go back and visits my dad's world of wall street from that i knew from the fifty's and sixty's but it completely changed in the eighty's and there was a new breed of banker investment trader shark that had come into the pool and was devouring some of the smaller fish the emphasis being on money not on serving the client not on helping the economy and ideas getting it all you know you could for yourself. and that gene. it was self evident there was a self destructive behavior about wall street the laws started to deregulate the computer on a new speed in a volume so gordon gekko was a conglomeration of.